Led beam display for interior automotive applications

ABSTRACT

A vehicle instrument cluster having a viewing area that is a planar non-glossy reflective surface. In one embodiment of the invention the viewing area is a black color. The vehicle instrument cluster further includes two or more light emitting diodes each having a light emission surface positioned to selectively project a light beam pattern onto the reflective surface visible on the viewing area. The light beam pattern creates a character or icon on the viewing surface, or the light beam pattern is combined with other light beam patterns from the other two or more light emitting diodes to create a character or icon on the viewing surface. The light beam pattern can be selectively changed between two or more colors projected from the light emission surface.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to light emitting diode beam displayarrangements for vehicle instrument clusters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of vehicle instrument clusters, often times values onclusters are displayed electronically. One typical method involves usingsegments of light emitting diodes or liquid crystals that areilluminated in connection with adjacent or nearby segments to form adigital numeric value. Projection of the light in this manner is usuallycarried out by providing a display screen containing different segmentsthat are energized to cause the segments to project light directlytoward a viewing zone. The light presented by the illuminated segmentsis a single color that cannot be changed without a filter(s). Also, thelight projected is bound by the boundary of the segment and cannot beblended with adjacent segments. It is therefore desirable to provide anarrangement that allows for more color variation and blending of lightsegments. It is also desirable to provide a more natural light sourceinstead of illuminating a single segment directly by transmission.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A vehicle instrument cluster having a viewing area that is a planarnon-glossy reflective surface. In one embodiment of the invention theviewing area is a black color. The vehicle instrument cluster furtherincludes two or more light emitting diodes each having a light emissionsurface positioned to selectively project a light beam pattern onto thereflective surface visible on the viewing area. The light beam patterncreates a character or icon on the viewing surface, or the light beampattern is combined with other light beam patterns from the other two ormore light emitting diodes to create a character or icon on the viewingsurface. The light beam pattern can be selectively changed between twoor more colors projected from the light emission surface.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective environmental view of a vehicle instrumentcluster used in an interior of a vehicle;

FIG. 2 is an angled side perspective view of a vehicle instrumentcluster in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a cluster of light emittingdiodes of the vehicle instrument cluster; and

FIG. 4 is a front plan view of an illuminated vehicle instrumentcluster.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, with specific reference to FIG. 1, a vehicleinstrument cluster 10 is shown in an interior of a vehicle 12. Inparticular, the instrument panel 10 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to aninstrument panel 14 of the vehicle 12 interior. The vehicle instrumentcluster 10 shown has two different gauges which include a speedometer 16and tachometer 18. The speedometer 16 and tachometer 18 show severaldifferent characters or numbers which are visible on a reflectivesurface 20. The reflective surface is a single surface or severalsurfaces located next to each other to express a series of numbers orcharacters.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, one embodiment of the vehicle instrumentcluster 10 is shown in greater detail with the single reflective surface20, which has a central longitudinal axis 22 that extends parallel tothe plane of the reflective surface 20. The reflective surface 20 in apreferred embodiment of the invention is a non-glossy planar surface,which is preferably black or dark in color in order to reflect the beamsof light projected onto the surface. However, it is within the scope ofthis invention for the reflective surface to be a lighter color, such aswhite, and be a glossy surface.

FIG. 2 shows the reflective surface 20 as having a generally rectangularshape having two parallel long sides 24, 24′ and two parallel shortsides 26, 26′. While the reflective surface 20 is shown as having arectangular shape, it is within the scope of this invention for thereflective surface 20 to have other shapes such as circular, triangular,square, hexagonal, trapezoidal, or any rhombus.

FIG. 2 has a total of 16 light emitting diodes (LEDs). It is also withinthe scope of this invention for the LEDs to be a laser or laser beamoutputs from a single laser. The LEDs as shown in FIG. 2 are arrangedalong the two parallel long sides 24, 24′ of the reflective surface. Inparticular, one of the two parallel long sides 24 has one group of twoLEDs 30, 32 located at one end of the parallel long side 24. Parallellong side 24 also has one group of three LEDs 34, 36, 38 located at asecond end of the parallel long side 24 and a second group of three LEDs40, 42, 44 located generally in the middle of the parallel long side 24between the first end and the second end.

The second parallel long side 24′ has a similar grouping of LEDs as thefirst side, but with their location being inverse to the LEDs on thelong side 24. For example, the second long side 24′ has one group of twoLEDs 30′, 32′ located at one end of the long side 24′ positioneddiagonally across from the one group of two LEDs 30, 32 located on theparallel long side 24. One group of three LEDs 34′, 36′, 38′ is locatedat a second end of the long side 24′ and is positioned diagonally acrossfrom the one group of three LEDs 34, 36, 38 of the parallel long side24. A second group of three LEDs 40′, 42′, 44′ is located in the middleof the long side 24′ and is positioned directly across the second groupof three LEDs 40, 42, 44 of the parallel long side 24.

Each of the LEDs 30, 30′, 32, 32′, 34, 34′, 36, 36′, 38, 38′, 40, 40′,42, 42′, 44, 44′ has a light emitting surface 46 that emits a beam oflight in a specific pattern. While the present embodiment of theinvention does not use any type of lens or cover on the light emittingsurface 46 for controlling the light beam pattern, it is within thescope of this invention for a lens to be placed on the light emissionsurface in order to control the light beam pattern projected from thelight emission surface 46. Each of the LEDs 30, 30′, 32, 32′, 34, 34′,36, 36′, 38, 38′, 40, 40′, 42, 42′, 44, 44′ has the light emissionsurface 46 positioned at an angle less than ninety degrees to the planeof the reflective surface 20 so that the light beam emitted from each ofthe LEDs is projected onto and reflects from the reflective surface 20,so that the light is viewable by a person using the vehicle instrumentdisplay cluster 10. The speedometer 16 and tachometer 18 shown in FIG. 1have numbers that are created using projected light from the LEDs asshown in FIGS. 2-4.

Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the vehicle instrument cluster10 has three horizontal light beams 48, 50, 52, four longitudinal lightbeams 54, 56, 58, 60, and two light diagonal beams 62, 64 that areprojected from the various light emission surfaces 46 of the individualLEDs 30, 30′, 32, 32′, 34, 34′, 36, 36′, 38, 38′, 40, 40′, 42, 42′, 44,44′, thereby creating the various light beam patterns on the reflectivesurface 20. The term horizontal, as used in FIG. 2, means perpendicularto the axis 22, longitudinal to the means parallel axis 22 and diagonalmeans diagonal to the axis 22.

The individual LEDs are selectively illuminated in order to projectlight patterns that will look like numbers or characters on thereflective surface 20. For example, FIG. 4 shows light beam patternsthat are projected and look like the number two. FIG. 2 shows all of thelight beams being selectively turned on and it is evident that any typeof number and several letters can be created by selectively turning onthe various beams. As shown in FIG. 2, the first group of three LEDs 34,34′, 36, 36′, 38, 38′, located at each end of the parallel long sides24, 24′ have one LED 36, 36′ that faces diagonally toward each other,which allows for the number seven to be created by projecting the twodiagonal beams 62, 64 onto the reflective surface 20. It is also withinthe scope of this invention to add additional LEDs. For example, insteadof having one group of two LEDs 30, 30′, 32, 32′ located on each of thetwo parallel long sides 24, 24′, it is within the scope of thisinvention to add an additional LED that will project a diagonal lightbeam, which would allow for creating an ‘X’ type of character when thediagonally positioned LEDs are illuminated.

While FIG. 2 depicts a single reflective surface 20 used to create asingle character or number, it is within the scope of this invention tohave more than sixteen LEDs that are spaced across a larger reflectivesurface 20 in order to project several numbers or characters on a singlereflective surface 20.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an illustrated example of a number two is shownby projecting the three horizontal beam patterns 48, 50, 52 and two ofthe longitudinal beam patterns 56, 58. Another feature of the presentinvention is that the beam patterns can change color or have differentcolors blended into the projected beam pattern. For example, as shown inFIG. 4, horizontal beam patterns 48, 52 has a red tint, while horizontalbeam pattern 50 and the two longitudinal beam patterns 56, 58 have agreen color with no red color being present. It is within the scope ofthis invention for the entire projected beam to be able to change colorsby controlling the various LEDs, and does not necessarily require theuse of light filters in order to accomplish color change. It is furtherwithin the scope of this invention for the light beam patterns to havedifferent colors within the same beam pattern in order to give amulti-color beam pattern.

The vehicle instrument cluster 10 is shown and described as being aspeedometer 16 or tachometer 18; however, it is within the scope of thisinvention for the vehicle instrument cluster 10 in accordance with thepresent invention to be used in connection with any type of display orinstrument cluster. For example, it is also within the scope of thisinvention for the vehicle instrument cluster 10 to be incorporated intoa radio or clock used to display a light beam pattern that represents atleast two characters on a viewing area. It is further within the scopeof this invention for the vehicle instrument cluster 10 to be used inconnection with an infotainment display in the vehicle.

The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and,thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention areintended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations arenot to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle instrument cluster comprising: one ormore reflective surfaces having a viewing area; two or more lightemitting diodes each having a light emission surface, wherein each lightemission surface is positioned to selectively project a light beampattern onto the reflective surface visible on the viewing area, whereinthe light beam pattern can be selectively changed between two or morecolors projected from the light emission surface.
 2. The vehicleinstrument cluster of claim 1 wherein the one or more reflectivesurfaces are each planar, non-glossy surfaces.
 3. The vehicle instrumentcluster of claim 2 wherein the one or more reflective surfaces are blackin color.
 4. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein the lightemission surface of each of the two or more light emitting diodes ispositioned as an angle less than ninety degrees from the viewing area.5. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 1 wherein each of the two ormore light emitting diodes includes a lens connected to at least one ofthe two or more light emitting diodes and controls the light beampattern projected from the light emitting surface of each one of the twoor more light emitting diodes.
 6. The vehicle instrument cluster ofclaim 1 wherein the vehicle instrument cluster is a speedometer used todisplay a light beam pattern that represents at least two characters onthe viewing area.
 7. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 1 whereinthe vehicle instrument cluster is a display for a radio or clock used todisplay a light beam pattern that represents at least two characters onthe viewing area.
 8. A vehicle instrument cluster comprising: one ormore reflective surfaces having a viewing area; one or more laser lightsources each having a light emission surface, wherein each lightemission surface is positioned to selectively project a light beampattern onto the reflective surface visible on the viewing area, whereinthe light beam pattern can be selectively changed between two or morecolors projected from the light emission surface.
 9. The vehicleinstrument cluster of claim 8 wherein the one or more reflectivesurfaces are each planar, non-glossy surfaces.
 10. The vehicleinstrument cluster of claim 9 wherein the one or more reflectivesurfaces are black in color.
 11. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim8 wherein the light emission surface of each of the one or more laserlight sources is positioned as an angle less than ninety degrees fromthe viewing area.
 12. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 8 whereinthe vehicle instrument cluster is a speedometer used to display a lightbeam pattern that represents at least two characters on the viewingarea.
 13. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 8 wherein the vehicleinstrument cluster is a display for a radio or clock used to display alight beam pattern that represents at least two characters on theviewing area.
 14. A vehicle instrument cluster comprising: a reflectivesurface having a rectangular shaped viewing area with two parallel longsides and two parallel short sides; sixteen light emitting diodes eachhaving a light emission surface and arranged in groups along the twoparallel long sides of the rectangular shaped viewing area such that oneof the two parallel long sides has one group of two light emittingdiodes located at one end of the one of the two parallel sides, onegroup of three light emitting diodes located at a second end of the oneof the two parallel sides and a second group of three light emittingdiodes is located between in substantially the middle of the one of thetwo parallel sides between the group of two light emitting diodes andthe first group of three light emitting diodes on the first one of thetwo parallel sides, while the second one of the two parallel sides has agroup one group of two light emitting diodes, a first group of threelight emitting diodes and a second group of three light emitting diodesarranged in an inverted manner to the first one of the two parallelsides, wherein each of the light emitting diodes have a light emissionsurface, wherein each light emission surface is positioned toselectively project a light beam pattern onto the reflective surfacevisible on the viewing area, wherein the light beam pattern can beselectively changed between two or more colors projected from the lightemission surface.
 15. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 14 whereinthe reflective surface is a planar, non-glossy surfaces.
 16. The vehicleinstrument cluster of claim 15 wherein the reflective surface is blackin color.
 17. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 14 wherein thelight emission surface of each of light emitting diodes is positioned atan angle less than ninety degrees from the viewing area.
 18. The vehicleinstrument cluster of claim 14 wherein each of the light emitting diodesincludes a lens connected to at least one of the two or more lightemitting diodes and controls the light beam pattern projected from thelight emitting surface of each one of the two or more light emittingdiodes.
 19. The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 14 wherein thevehicle instrument cluster is a speedometer used to display a light beampattern that represents at least two characters on the viewing area. 20.The vehicle instrument cluster of claim 14 wherein the vehicleinstrument cluster is a display for a radio or clock used to display alight beam pattern that represents at least two characters on theviewing area.